The Old City

by Bertha M. Hayden

            The Old City lay along the valley of Rocky Pond Brook between Worcester Mill and Proctor Hill.  Converging trails led to it.  The road going southerly from Worcester’s Mill joined with one coming from the north with Melendy Pond, west of Rocky Pond, past the Birch Tree, and united with a third branch from Ezekiel Proctor’s (and his son Abijah Proctor’s).  Pursuing a general southerly direction this became the Village Street or main thoroughfare through the City.  Then this road divides; one branch going up the walled lane to the Cyrus Proctor place, straight across the present highway to the south past Solomon Pierce’s homestead towards Huff Mill.  Another branch, taking a more southwesterly trend came out by Clough’s sheep pasture, across the present highway west of Proctor Hill, past a dwelling on the flat to unite with the one just above a short distance north of the little brook.  There a house in the pick of these two roads. Crossing the little brook this road continued towards Huff’s Mill, passing another house before coming out up the road from the Lawrence place to the main road from Pepperell to Brookline. Still another road lay to the west of this and on it was the “Cemetery in the Woods: the oldest graveyard of white settlers within the present limit of Brookline.  This last named road was evidently once a much traveled road: A by path “for foot men only” also led at one time from Ezekiel Proctor’s to Jonas (Jonathan) Dix. (The Pope place).

          Charles Spaulding speaks facetiously of this settlement as “au City” page 163 Spaulding Book ---where he records the marriage of Sarah Jewett and Benjamin Austin in 1800.  Her home was at the Ren Lund place and she would be a relative of

Deacon Enoch Jewett Colburn.

          Five—or six---cellar holes remain to show the location of the Old City. These homes were occupied by the Abbotts, Austins, Lees, Crossmans, Goodhues or Goodnows, and also, I am told, a Hobart family that was some relation to Mrs. Clapp.  One piece of land is called today the “Lee Pasture”.  These dwelling were mostly on the west side of the brook.

Hollis History speaks of three generations of Austins (or Astins) Thomas Austin was one of the signers of the petition for the incorporation of Raby.  His first child, Ruth, born in 1752, married Moses Proctor in 1784.  According to Brooklline History this Thomas Austin lived on a bridle path in the south east part of Raby, formerly Hollis.  His children are recorded in Hollis History and it was evidently his grandson to whom Mr. Spaulding referred.  I have always understood that more than one family of Austins was living in the Old City at the same time, that is, occupying more than one house.  Old deeds conveying land there speak of the old Beaver Dam near the Austin lands.  Perhaps the Lees and Crossmans occupied the same farm at different times.  The Grace family was south west of here, the Frenches, Tatlors, Ames and k--  too far away to be included.  I do not know now whether this was the same family of Goodhues that lived in Hollis Village.

These residents of the Old City rebelled when Mr. Bailey diverted stream from Rocky Pond to his own use at his Bailey Mill and destroyed the dam that turned the stream, claiming that loss of the water spoiled their meadow hay.  The course of the brook as traced on the County map is not correct, as it does not join Beaver Brook, but flows out past the old Hardy mill into Brookline and thus into the stream from Potanipo.

Stephen Austin (called “Pep Austin”) moved to the Kittredge place from the Old City in the north part of Hollis, the first house south of the Amherst line on the main road from Amherst to Hollis.  His wife m second H. G. Felton, in whose name the place appears on the  County map.  Then it passed to her son Albert Stephen Austin.  Another branch of the family, Noah, Maria and Daniel lived on the Solomon Pierce place.  George Austin came from the Old City.

          One of the reasons why the settlement was made at the Old City was because of the excellence of the meadow hay there, for in those days meadow hay was held in great esteem.  There is a big elm tree at the site of the second dwelling (going south).

          Uncle David feels sure that the children from the Old City went to the first old Beaver Brook schoolhouse. George Austin worked at Capt. Wheeler’s and Uncle David remembers hearing him tell of going to school at Beaver Brook.  Jeff Austin was a brother of George.  Later George Austin worked for Ed Emerson at and around the store.  One day he was teaming a hogshead of molasses up to the store.  The big barrel fell out of the cart and rolled into the little brook he was just passing (the brook west of Runnels Bridge) and split open, so all the molasses was lost.’

            Uncle David says that Charles Woods went to Beaver Brook School too.  These stories were told to him when he was a small boy.

            William Lund burned coal pits at the Old City the year that Walter Lund was born.  The buildings were gone then but the fields and tillage land were till open.  ….to the Wild Cat Den and the Rattlesnake Den.

            These are often confused because it is not understood that there are two separate spots are meant.  The Wild Cat Den was west of the road and brook leading to the Old City from Worcester Mill.  The entrance was low and an explorer had to crawl in for several feet before a  circular den four or five feet high was reached.  From this an irregular tunnel a foot or so in diameter leads off.  As far as I know this small lead has not been explored.  Bones of animals were found in the cave, so I was told by Ren Lund who is one of the few persons that have crawled in to the dark hole.

            The Rattlesnake den was up on the bluff east of the brook.  When the first settlers came this section was infested with snakes.  Hogs and pigs running wild killed a lot of them.  Moses Proctor was bitten by a rattlesnake.  Saved by cauterizing the wound and attentive care Mr. Proctor used all means in his power to exterminate the pets.  Each spring for years he and his neighbors would go to the Den and ledges where the snakes wintered and build fires to smoke out and warm out the snakes.  Many snakes were killed by Mr. Proctor and his associates.